Monday 18^th May 2020

Dear Parents,

I hope that you are all well and continuing to cope with the situation that we currently find ourselves in regarding the COVID 19 pandemic.

As you will be aware we are preparing to re-open schools for children in Year R,1 and 6 from the 1^st June 2020. This letter is going out to all members of the school community, in order that everyone can be informed of the situation and how school will run from this time.

The arrangements at Broughton may differ slightly from other schools that you know and this is because all head teachers have completed risk- assessments for their individual schools. We have to take into account many factors: logistics, building size and structure, facilities and timetables. This letter aims to give you a full picture of how the school will run and the reasons for these changes.

Basic Rationale: Reducing the risk of transmission

Schools are being asked to put measures in place that reduce the risk of children transmitting the virus between both themselves and the adults working in the schools. In order to do this the following practices will be strictly adhered to:

N.B: Throughout this letter I will refer to a ‘bubble’, this is a group of children who will be together for the duration of the time and the adult who will be teaching them. They will not interact with any other ‘bubbles’ at school.

• Children and staff will work within their own ‘bubble’, where social distancing measures will apply. They will not interact with other bubbles, during the school day and will eat meals and have playtimes in them. Items that are transferred between home and schools will be kept to a minimum and classrooms will be adapted to facilitate effective cleaning.
• Children will have clear and regular handwashing/ hygiene routines. All surfaces and shared facilities will be disinfected regularly throughout the day.
• Children will be taught in their bubbles, initially Year R, 1 and 6. Where needed, Key-worker children will continue to attend school, in their own ‘bubble’ Home- learning will continue for those at home.

How this will work:

Badgers class- will be the workplace for year 6, Otters class for year 1 and Foxes class for keyworker children. Squirrels class in Conker Lodge will be the base for Year R. We have the capacity for all the children in each of these year groups and for 15 key worker children. (How this is decided)

Priority levels:

1.    Children (any year) with 2 keyworker parents (or 1 if sole parent) and children in receipt of a EHCP

2.    Children (any year) with 1 keyworker parent

Below is a proposed time table of how this will work in school. Please note that initially we will open mornings only – to allow adequate time for thorough cleaning and to ensure that teachers have time to plan and facilitate the remote learning that continues for other Year groups. We also need to be able to review practice in order to ensure the safety of all he children and staff.

This will begin from Monday 1/6/2020 for Year R and Year 6 and Wednesday 3/6/20 for Year 1

Keyworker provision will continue through to 3.30pm. It will not be possible for children to move from one group to another, for the reasons that I have given previously.

Other information:

            Finally,

As always the well-being of the children and the staff at Broughton are at the centre of the decisions that I have made at this time.

In preparation for re-opening I have completed a full risk assessment and followed the guidelines as directed by the Government, Hampshire County Council and Public Health England. I know that when we open on June 1^st it will be a different environment for the children than the one that they left. The reasons for this are important and necessary and I know that children are adaptable. It would be most helpful if you can discuss this with your child/ren before they come back, in order to manage expectations. I will provide a new video tour of the classrooms to help with this.

If you have any questions about any of this information, please do not hesitate to contact me. I understand that the decision to send your child back to school is a complex one and that views may differ and vary. It is important that information is shared openly in order that you are able to make the decision that is right for you and your family.

To parents of children in Year R,1 and 6, on receipt and reading of this letter and following discussion, please e-mail school to let us know if your child will or will not be attending on 1^st / 3^rd June 2020.

Best regards

Lucy Macey- Headteacher